UPDATE at 2:13 p.m. Sept. 1, 2019: This story was originally published in 2016. We're redistributing it this week because the shooter who killed seven and injured 22 in Odessa on Aug. 31 used an AR-15 style rifle.

The AR-15's ability to be customized makes it the favored rifle for all kinds of shooters. You can replace parts, attach accessories and paint it to make it your own. Gun advocates call it the Lego or Barbie of guns because of that versatility.

How the AR-15 works

Everything that makes it the most popular rifle in the U.S. — easy to buy, easy to shoot, easy to customize — also makes it an extremely efficient killing machine, critics say.

A similar modified rifle was used in mass shootings at a Pittsburgh synagogue and a Sutherland Springs, Texas, church. The AR-15 was the weapon of choice for mass murderers who killed 12 moviegoers in Aurora, Colo., 14 partygoers in San Bernardino, Calif., 27 children and teachers in Newtown, Conn, and most recently, 17 high school students in Parkland, Fla.

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After every mass shooting, politicians and Facebook pundits alike ask the same question: Why even own such a weapon?

"A lot of it is perception. People don't know the difference between this and an M-4.... If we want meaningful change, we need to fix what we already have. Finding the right way forward takes that respectful discussion."

"I had shot AR-15s many times before, but shooting your own, cleaning your own, knowing you have that kind of awesome power in your hand -- it's an adrenaline rush for sure... It's like riding a roller coaster, but different. You don't feel scared anymore."

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Colion Noir, Dallas

"It looks dramatic. There's a lot of theatrics with an AR-15... If you have an ignorant perspective of the AR-15, what you end up with is a terrified public... The very reasons they want to condemn it are the same reasons I want it."

Charles Scudder, Staff writer. Charlie Scudder covers suburban safety and has been a reporter on the features and news desks for five years. He's also an adjunct professor at UNT's Mayborn School of Journalism. Raised in Colleyville, he is a graduate of both Southern Methodist University and Indiana University.